Four soda products have been recalled by the FDA for containing undeclared dangerous food dyes, including one that can cause cancer.
The drinks are produced by Charles Boggini Company and include their Pink Lemonade, Yellow Lemonade and Yellow Lemonade X, as well as a flavoring product called Cola Flavoring Base.
The company does not sell canned drinks directly to customers, but rather supplies drink concentrates and flavors to other manufacturers and retailers in multiple states.
The pink and yellow lemonades were recalled because the company did not disclose that they contained food dyes Red 40 and Yellow 5 respectively.
The products were recalled across nine states: Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Missouri, Illinois, Nevada and California
The Cola Flavoring Base contained undeclared sulfites, which are salts used as preservatives in wine and food products such as cured meats and dried fruits
Both of the chemicals contains benzidine, a human and animal carcinogen permitted in low, presumably safe levels in dyes. However, companies must declare if products contain it.
According to the FDA, ingestion of free benzidine raises the cancer risk to just under the ‘concern’ threshold, or one cancer in one million people.
The Charles Boggini Company voluntarily recalled the drinks at the end of March, but the health hazard of the drinks was not classified until June 3.
The products were recalled across nine states: Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Missouri, Illinois, Nevada and California.
The Cola Flavoring Base contained undeclared sulfites, which are salts used as preservatives in wine and food products such as cured meats and dried fruits.
Charles Boggini Company does not sell canned drinks directly to customers, but rather supplies drink concentrates and flavors to other manufacturers and retailers
Some people have sensitivity to sulfites that can cause allergic skin reactions, respiratory issues and digestive problems like stomach pain or diarrhea.
It seems that when sulfites combine with stomach acid during digestion, they release sulphur dioxide, an irritant gas that can then come back up and.
The recalls included 28 gallons of the pink lemonade, more than 2,700 gallons of the cola flavoring base and 112 gallons of the yellow lemonade products.
The pink lemonade and cola flavoring base was classified by the FDA as Class II health hazards, meaning they can cause ‘temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.’
The yellow lemonade drinks were classified as a Class III health hazard, meaning the product is ‘not likely to cause adverse health consequences,’ according to the FDA.
When determining the health hazard of recalled products, the FDA considers things like whether the product had already led to illness and the risk of any future impacts on health.
Class I is the most serious form of recall, used when the product has a reasonable chance of causing ‘serious adverse health consequences or death.’
Some studies have also linked Red 40 food dye, also called E129, to allergies, migraines, and mental disorders like ADHD in children.
Yellow 5, on the other hand, is used in foods such as Twinkies, and may lead to allergic and intolerance reactions in asthmatics or people with an aspirin intolerance.
